


Mnemosyne and Melpomene

by psychotraumatic



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-11-20 05:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11329830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotraumatic/pseuds/psychotraumatic
Summary: When loving is so short but forgetting is so long, this is all he's left with... And it's his fault.





	Mnemosyne and Melpomene

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kunehonim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunehonim/gifts).



> Based off of a prompt.
>
>> Chanyeol was the one who brought up the divorce- and now that it's over and done with, he wonders why he's not happy with the outcome.
>> 
>> — ㅊ × ㅂ (@promptcentral) [January 18, 2017](https://twitter.com/promptcentral/status/821550268693123073)

He signs his name across the dotted line, the ink barely settling before the lawyer swipes the pile up to pass to another man. He watches as the other dutifully puts pen to paper, one beautiful hand moving swiftly to seal the deal. This time, he does the lawyer’s job of gathering the documents, handing them over with a polite smile. _He looks happy_ , he notes. The thought leaves a bitterness in his mouth. He was the one who brought up the divorce, but now that it’s over and done with, he wonders why he’s not happy with the outcome.

His eyes follow the other’s movements as he gets up to shake hands with the lawyer, thanking her for making the entire process as smooth as possible. He stares, trying to remember the last time he looked as bright as he did in this moment. And he realizes, with the difficulty that he has to conjure up an image, that the shorter male had been unhappy for the longest time.

His breath catches in his throat as the man finally turns to him, his smile dropping into a thin line. He tries to speak, mouth opening and closing, but no words come out. The other’s face is devoid of any emotion. It was hard for him to reconcile the hardness of his gaze to the boy in his memories.

Ultimately, that was the hardest pill to swallow. Signing on their divorce not only meant the dissolution of their marriage, it also meant losing someone he’s spent a good portion of his life with.

“That’s it,” hands clapping once in finality.

He can only cringe in response, not at all fond of how joyful the other sounds. Was he truly that glad to get rid of him? Since the divorce proceedings had started, he always thought they could work around a failed marriage and work on putting their friendship back together. All his hopes were dashed in the next, and last, six words the other utters to him.

“Let’s forget each other, Park Chanyeol.”

 

* * *

 

He drives away from the lawyer’s office in a daze, barely even registering how he made it back home in one piece. He sits in the parked car, looking at the façade of the house that’s now solely his. It used to be their home, a wedding gift from the Byun family that he could have been kicked out of, but Baekhyun signed away to him instead, reasoning that he wanted a fresh start. One that involved nothing that Chanyeol had been part of. It was a stark reminder of how screwed up the situation was.

He recalls a time when the smaller male had bounced around, determined to give the house his personal touch. _Make it a home for us and not something they hold over our heads,_ was what he said. He remembers the coy smile afterwards, more vividly than he should. And as Chanyeol walks through the front door, no cheerful voice welcomes him back. He realizes he’s truly alone. He wonders if this was how it felt for his now ex-husband.

_That’s Baekhyun. He’s the heir to Byun Industries. Richest kid in this whole school, probably the entire region._

The introduction was meant to intimidate him, a warning to the transfer student that he was not in the same league as the other. Unfortunately, it only made Chanyeol curious. Why was the most talked about person in his class always alone?

Their first official meeting was quite cliché. A partner project for one class saw the two of them pairing up after a random draw from a hat. It was the perfect opportunity for Chanyeol to get to know Baekhyun, despite how some of his newly made acquaintances told him they would probably never get along.

What no one expected was for the two to actually become great friends, personalities similar and complementary to one another. They’ve been thick as thieves since, right from middle school and straight on to college.

It was in their final year of school when things took a turn. Though they shared many similarities, there are several glaring differences. While Chanyeol did have a good family background, Baekhyun’s pedigree was unmatched. The smaller boy always had far more expectations set on his shoulders. One of them was to marry someone that could benefit his family’s empire.

The changes were gradual at first. Drivers whisking Baekhyun away to his father’s business lunches, butlers telling Chanyeol the Byuns were at an afternoon function, study sessions waiting in the wings in lieu of company galas. But it was when their weekend outings were scrapped in exchange for meetings for potential spouses that the tall male had enough.

“If I asked your parents for your hand in marriage, do you think they’ll approve?”

“You can’t be serious!” Baekhyun exclaims. “Please tell me that’s just a temporary lapse of insanity.”

“I am serious,” Chanyeol replies, brows knitting together as he glances at the other. “I’m your best friend. I can see you don’t like any of this. Why would you, anyway? You’re going to boring business parties and meeting dates nearly twice your age. Do you really want to get married to someone who can pass as your own father?”

The two of them shudder at the thought, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but unload all his frustrations. Chanyeol listens as the other whines about not wanting to inherit the family business anyway, but he’s torn between being himself and upholding his duty as a son. “They always left me to my own devices while growing up. Why can’t they keep doing that now?”

“So let me help you,” Chanyeol presses. “If your parents say yes, I will do it. If it means I can buy you time and give you a sense of freedom that you won’t have with anyone else, let me marry you.”

He never really thought much of the consequences of asking Baekhyun to marry him. He was merely frustrated at seeing his free-spirited friend sacrifice so much of himself for the sake of family. The smaller boy was into art galleries and indie films, ripped jeans and tousled hair, sleeping in and doing nothing. Chanyeol was already majoring in business and set to graduate with honors. A marriage of convenience wasn’t so bad since both of them stood to gain something from it.

Baekhyun’s parents were quick to agree to the proposal, both gushing at how Chanyeol possesses many of the qualities they hoped for in a son-in-law. Having been a good friend to their only child for all these years had also given them the possible idea that the two would end up together anyway. Neither of them could fight the blush off their cheeks at the thought.

It was a whirlwind of preparations for their marriage, though both were able to have breathing room thanks to their families. While Baekhyun and Chanyeol were finishing off their studies, their parents were more than happy to take the reigns when it came to wedding plans. Both boys knew that there was going to be a lot of fanfare once news came out, but they also decided to deal with it when the time came.

If anyone asks him what he remembers from his wedding day, Chanyeol will say something about his cheeks hurting like hell. Touted as the next generation power couple, he couldn’t recall another time when he had to greet so many guests and smile in thanks at their congratulations. Baekhyun had always teased him that his gigantic grin was going to freeze in the most inopportune moment. The wedding was it.

Their life together hadn’t been all bad. In fact, it gave them plenty of good memories. The marriage was like an extension of their friendship, giving them a chance to do everything they wanted, whenever they wanted. Baekhyun got the freedom to pursue his own dreams while Chanyeol learned the ropes of the business from his father-in-law. If a few shy kisses later turned into bedroom trysts in between, they didn’t bat an eyelash. He thinks, that at some point, he was as close to falling in love as he ever could be.

He tries to look back at when things started going wrong. Was it in their third or fourth year of marriage? All Chanyeol really remembers is spending less and less time at home and going out with clients instead. There was one time he didn’t come home until the early hours of the morning, reeking of cigarette smoke and sweat. If there were a few lipstick stains on is collar, he doesn’t realize it, nor does he care. He just throws the shirt in the hamper for the cleaning lady to take care of at the end of the week.

Baekhyun grows suspicious after the third time, asking him of his whereabouts. Chanyeol shrugs him off, owing it to business deals and the need to please clients. If it meant staying out at all hours, going to VIP strip clubs, and acting like a Casanova with no care for his husband, then so be it. Chanyeol was the one facing powerful businessmen, not him. Baekhyun didn’t know the amount of stress they give him for not playing along.

Things reach the tipping point when Baekhyun returns from an overseas art showcase, only to find his husband in bed with a woman. He freezes at their bedroom door, half wanting to rush at them and scream at the top of his lungs, the other wanting to run away and hide.

He does neither, hoping against everything that it was one time thing, even if he knew that it was the biggest lie he could tell himself. Instead, he holes himself in one of the guest bedrooms and waits, staying up throughout the night trying to fight the sordid images that ran through his head. It was past nine in the morning when he hears movement, though not the ones he wanted to hear. While he had hoped that Chanyeol would send the woman away as soon as he woke, what Baekhyun hears is a stranger moaning his husband’s name. He presses his hands against his mouth, muffling sobs that he could barely hear over the sounds of sex from just down the hall.

Chanyeol remembers the aftermath of that day vividly. After sending the girl off, he had turned around to see the small male walk out of the guest room, tears still streaming down his face. In the smallest voice he’s ever heard Baekhyun use, his husband asks why.

He fills with anger, even if he wasn’t in the right place for it. Why did he need to explain his actions to anyone, least of all him? He had given up his life to make sure Baekhyun could live his the way he wanted. In his eyes, he deserved some leeway to enjoy what he desired.

“We got married out of convenience, Baek,” Chanyeol reminds him. “I saved your ass from marrying some 50-year old sleaze so you could get into your nonsense art while taking care of _your_ family’s business. Give me a break! If you can’t give me that, fine. File for divorce.”

If he chose not to hear Baekhyun’s next question, turning his back on the crying boy was the biggest regret of his life.

“Even if just a little, did you love me at all?”

Chanyeol never thought much of it, still going about his dirty deeds without a care. He never expected to wake up one morning with one side of the bed completely untouched, save for a pile of papers and a ring that used to match his. A feeling of dread settles at the pit of his stomach. He already knows what it means, but he was still wrought with disbelief that the day has finally come.

What surprises him was how things went as if he did nothing wrong. He expected a lot of mudslinging, especially from his in-laws for breaking their son’s heart. But all he got was a pat on the back and sympathy, the Byuns telling him how some things just aren’t meant to work out. His father-in-law even offered understanding if Chanyeol chooses to walk away from their business, knowing that the Parks had a reputable company of their own. His and Baekhyun’s friends still talked to him, even the household help kept cordial.

He later finds out that Baekhyun had covered for him. _It’s the least I can do_ , was what he says after one of the settlement meetings. His estranged husband didn’t put in any fight, agreeing to pay the lump sum of their pre-nuptial agreement right off the bat.

“Once this divorce is finalized. I will forget everything about you. You’ll no longer have any obligations to me or my family, and I won’t get in your way again.”

 

* * *

 

The maître d’ leads him towards a more private section of the restaurant, one that breaks into smaller rooms to host VIP guests. He pulls his phone out of his pocket only to sigh, cancelling his mother’s call that was likely about the need to settle down.

He probably should have looked at where he was going, colliding with another patron right as they turn a corner.

“I’m sorry,” the tall blond says.

“No, that’s okay,” he replies. “I wasn’t looking either.”

“Kris?” a familiar voice filters through his ears, freezing him on the spot. “What are you doing just standing there? Move or we’ll miss the artist installation!”

A small form walks out from behind the man he bumped into, and his world stops. “Baekhyun.”

The man looks at him, face devoid of any expression. “Hello.”

“Do you know each other?” the blond, Kris, asks.

“No,” Baekhyun replies, an easy smile directed at the other who snakes an arm around his waist. “We probably met at an art function or something. I don’t know.”

“Right, of course. Byun Baekhyun, South Korea’s fastest rising curator. Sometimes I forget I have to share you with so many people.”

“Oh shut up, you big dummy,” he grumbles playfully, tucking himself further into Kris’ hold. “Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.”

In that moment, he realizes, Byun Baekhyun really did forget Park Chanyeol.

**Author's Note:**

> Mnemosyne is the Greek titan goddess of memory. Melpomene is the Greek muse of tragedy.


End file.
